阅读说明：本技术 电子镜的显示控制装置以及具备其的电子镜系统 (Display control device for electronic mirror and electronic mirror system provided with same ) 是由 江头明 山上友希 杉原邦泰 浅井五朗 饭田智阳 长谷川太一 于 2019-09-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及显示控制装置,其具备：输入部(101),其输入输入信号,该输入信号包含表示用于电子镜的操作的开关(20～22)的操作状态的信号,且用于从多个显示模式中选择由电子镜显示的显示模式；存储部(102),其对多个显示模式中的各个显示模式赋予优先级并存储为阶层构造,并且存储设定该各个显示模式的条件亦即模式设定条件；判定部(S110、S130),其基于输入信号,对多个显示模式中的各个显示模式判定是否满足模式设定条件；以及设定部(S200～S265),其在多个显示模式当中的满足模式设定条件的显示模式中,将优先级最高的显示模式设定为由电子镜显示的显示模式。(The present invention relates to a display control device, which comprises: an input unit (101) for inputting an input signal including a signal indicating an operation state of switches (20-22) for operating the electronic mirror, and for selecting a display mode displayed by the electronic mirror from a plurality of display modes; a storage unit (102) that gives priority to each of a plurality of display modes, stores the display modes in a hierarchical structure, and stores mode setting conditions that are conditions for setting the display modes; a determination unit (S110, S130) that determines whether or not a mode setting condition is satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes, based on the input signal; and a setting unit (S200-S265) that sets, among the plurality of display modes, the display mode having the highest priority as the display mode to be displayed by the electronic mirror, among the display modes satisfying the mode setting condition.)

1. A display control device for capturing an image of the periphery of a vehicle with cameras (10, 11) and displaying the image on an electronic mirror (200) in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes by using image data of the cameras, the display control device comprising:

an input unit (101) for inputting an input signal including a signal indicating an operation state of switches (20-22) for operation of the electronic mirror, the input signal being used for selecting a display mode displayed by the electronic mirror from the plurality of display modes;

a storage unit (102) that gives priority to each of the plurality of display modes, stores the display mode as a hierarchical structure, and stores mode setting conditions that are conditions for setting the display mode;

a determination unit (S110, S130) that determines whether or not the mode setting condition is satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes based on the input signal; and

a setting unit (S200-S265) that sets, among the plurality of display modes, the display mode that satisfies the mode setting condition, the display mode with the highest priority as the display mode displayed by the mirror.

2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1,

the storage unit stores a mode release condition that is a condition for releasing the setting of each of the plurality of display modes,

the determination unit determines whether or not the mode release condition is satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes based on the input signal,

the setting section excludes a display mode satisfying the mode release condition from display modes displayed by the electronic mirror among the plurality of display modes.

3. The display control apparatus according to claim 2,

the determination section sets ownership if the mode setting condition is satisfied, and sets non-ownership if the mode release condition is satisfied, for each of the plurality of display modes,

the setting portion sets, among display modes set to have ownership among the plurality of display modes, the display mode with the highest priority as the display mode displayed by the electronic mirror.

4. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the electronic mirrors are displayed in a right side mirror (201) and a left side mirror (202) respectively,

the determination unit determines whether or not the mode setting condition is satisfied for each of the right side mirror and the left side mirror,

the setting portion sets, for the right side mirror and the left side mirror, respectively, the display mode with the highest priority as the display mode displayed by the electronic mirror among the display modes satisfying the mode setting condition.

5. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

in the electronic mirror, the image data within the shooting range of the camera is locally cut out and displayed; the plurality of display modes include a display mode in which display is performed at an optical viewing angle corresponding to the optical lens and a display mode in which display is performed at a wider display viewing angle than the optical viewing angle; in the electron mirror, display is performed in a display mode in which special display different from the optical viewing angle display is performed.

6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,

the input signal includes a signal for turning on/off the start switch (2),

as one of the plurality of display modes, there is a stop mode as follows: the mode setting condition includes a condition that the start switch is turned off, and the display of the electronic mirror is continued for a predetermined period after the start switch is turned off.

7. The display control apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,

the input signal includes a signal indicating a shift position and a signal indicating an instruction command of an external terminal (300) provided outside the vehicle,

as one of the plurality of display modes, there is a maintenance mode as follows: a condition including that the shift position is a parking position and a signal indicating the instruction command is input is set as the mode setting condition, and a display for maintenance is performed.

8. The display control apparatus according to claim 7,

in the switch, comprising: a cross switch (20) for adjusting the position of the display center of the display image of the electronic mirror, and a setting switch (22) for displaying a menu when the special display is performed,

the maintenance modes include a first maintenance mode and a second maintenance mode,

in the first maintenance mode, image display of rotational offset correction, which is a displacement of the camera in a rotational direction with respect to a photographing center axis, is performed, and in the first maintenance mode, the rotational offset correction is performed based on an operation of the cross switch,

in the second maintenance mode, image display of angular shift correction of the camera with respect to a reference direction of a photographing center axis is performed, and in the second maintenance mode, the angular shift correction is performed based on an operation of the cross switch,

in the maintenance mode, switching between the first maintenance mode and the second maintenance mode is performed based on pressing of the setting switch.

9. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8,

a signal representing a gear is included in the input signal,

as one of the plurality of display modes, there is a reverse interlock display mode as follows: the mode setting condition is a condition including an input of a signal indicating that the shift position is a reverse position, and the wide-angle display is performed.

10. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9,

the switch comprises a cross switch (20) for adjusting the position of the display center of the display image of the electronic mirror,

one of the plurality of display modes is a wide-view display mode including: a condition including that the cross switch is operated is made the mode setting condition, and the wide-angle display is performed.

11. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10,

as one of the display modes, there is a door opening interlock mode as follows: and based on the input signal, if a driving door linkage mode setting condition is met, performing the wide-angle display.

12. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 11,

-including in the input signal a signal representing the operational state of a direction indicator (40),

as one of the plurality of display modes, there is a left-turn right-turn travel mode as follows: a condition including that the direction indicator is operated is set as the mode setting condition, and the wide-angle display is performed.

13. The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 12,

the display control device has the following normal running mode: the mode setting condition is set such that none of the display modes of the special display satisfies the mode setting condition, and the optical angle display is performed.

14. An electron mirror system having:

the display control apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 13; and

the electronic mirror is provided with a plurality of electronic mirrors,

and causing the electronic mirror to display in the display mode set by the display control device.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display control device for an electronic mirror that controls display of an electronic mirror that displays an image of a vehicle periphery, and an electronic mirror system including the display control device.

Background

Conventionally, there has been proposed a display control device for an electronic mirror, which captures an image of the periphery of a vehicle with a camera and performs switching of image ranges such as displaying the image as an image in a range corresponding to an optical mirror or displaying the image in a wider range than the optical mirror. For example, in patent document 1, the cutting angle of view is changed according to the steering angle, and the display range of an image on a display device constituting an electronic mirror is adjusted.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-34430

In the electronic mirror, it is desirable to be able to set a plurality of display modes according to the situation. On the other hand, since selection of the display mode of the electronic mirror is generally performed by using buttons of the conventional optical mirror, it is necessary to realize state transition according to the situation with a small number of switches.

To achieve this, for example, it is considered that, for each of a plurality of modes, a full-style design is performed in advance for a case where a certain mode is set, what kind of switching operation is performed, and then a mode is shifted to which mode.

However, since it is necessary to design a pattern for transition to another pattern in advance for each of a plurality of patterns, the condition number of the pattern to be studied needs to be the square of the number of patterns, and the number of design steps is enormous. Therefore, there is a possibility that a problem in quality assurance such as an increase in management cost, occurrence of a condition outside the assumption, and failure of mode selection may occur.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a display control device of an electronic mirror, which can realize reduction of design man-hour and improvement of quality assurance.

A display control device for an electronic mirror according to an aspect of the present invention is a display control device for an electronic mirror that captures an image of a rear side of a vehicle with a camera and performs display in the electronic mirror in a display mode selected from a plurality of display modes using image data of the camera, the display control device including: an input unit that inputs an input signal including a signal indicating an operation state of a switch for operation of the electronic mirror, and that selects a display mode displayed by the electronic mirror from among a plurality of display modes; a storage unit that gives priority to each of a plurality of display modes, stores the display mode as a hierarchical structure, and stores a mode setting condition that is a condition for setting the display mode; a determination unit that determines whether or not a mode setting condition is satisfied for each of a plurality of display modes based on an input signal; and a setting unit that sets, among the plurality of display modes, a display mode that satisfies the mode setting condition, as the display mode displayed by the galvano mirror, the display mode having the highest priority.

In this way, the display control device gives priority to each display mode displayed by the electronic mirror as a hierarchical structure, and performs mode setting according to the priority. Therefore, when there is a display mode satisfying the mode setting condition, it is sufficient to select a display mode having the highest priority from among the display modes and set the selected display mode.

Therefore, it is not necessary to design a pattern for shifting to another pattern one by one for each of the plurality of patterns, and it is possible to reduce the number of design steps while suppressing the increase in the number of design steps. Further, if priority design is suppressed, the display mode can be set reliably, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in management cost, and there is no problem in quality assurance that a mode selection cannot be performed due to a condition that falls outside the assumption. Therefore, the electronic mirror system can be improved in terms of reduction in design man-hours and quality assurance.

Note that reference numerals with parentheses for each component and the like indicate an example of correspondence between the component and the like and specific components and the like described in the embodiment described later.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an electronic mirror system according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a block structure of the electronic mirror system shown in fig. 1 in a mounted state on a vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a graph showing various display modes performed by the display control apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a state transition diagram showing the relationship between the mode setting condition, the mode release condition, and the priority.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the details of the mode setting condition determination process.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the mode setting process.

Fig. 7 is a state transition diagram showing a relationship between the mode setting condition, the mode release condition, and the priority for each display mode described in another embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or equivalent portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and described.

(first embodiment)

An electronic mirror system mounted on a vehicle and a display control device provided in the electronic mirror system according to a first embodiment will be described. The electronic mirror system is a system including an electronic mirror and various configurations for controlling display of the electronic mirror, and the display control device constitutes an electronic control device for controlling the display. Hereinafter, the configuration of an electronic mirror system including the display control device 100, the electronic mirror 200, and the like will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the electronic mirror system includes cameras 10 and 11, various switches 20 to 23, a shift position sensor 30, a door sensor 31, a direction indicator 40, and the like in addition to a display control device 100 and an electronic mirror 200. In the electronic mirror system, the display mode can be set using the external terminal 300.

The display control device 100 is configured to control display in the electronic mirror 200 so as to display an image in a predetermined display mode, and therefore includes a known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I/O, a timer, and the like. The display control device 100 is driven by power supplied from a power supply 1, using a constant voltage source such as a battery or a + B power supply in a vehicle as the power supply 1. The display control apparatus 100 executes various processes based on a program stored in a memory corresponding to a non-transitory tangible recording medium such as a ROM or a RAM, thereby controlling the display of the electronic mirror 200.

When an ignition switch (hereinafter referred to as IG)2 is turned on, the display control apparatus 100 is driven by receiving power supply from the power supply 1, but here, even if the IG2 is turned off, the display control apparatus is driven for a predetermined period (for example, 7 minutes). In the case of the present embodiment, the display control apparatus 100 receives the power supply via the delay circuit 3 in addition to the power supply directly from the power supply 1. Therefore, even after IG2 is turned off and no longer receives the direct power supply from power supply 1, display control apparatus 100 can continue driving for a predetermined period by receiving the power supply via delay circuit 3.

The display control device 100 includes an input unit 101, a storage unit 102, a determination unit 103, a setting unit 104, and the like.

The input unit 101 inputs various input signals for selecting the display mode of the electronic mirror 200 in addition to the image data of the cameras 10 and 11. For example, the input unit 101 receives, as input signals, a signal indicating on/off of the IG2 and signals indicating operation states of the various switches 20 to 22 for controlling the mirror 200. The input unit 101 also receives, as input signals, detection signals from the shift position sensor 30 and the door sensor 31, and signals indicating the operation state of the direction indicator 40. The input unit 101 has an input terminal 50, and also inputs an input signal indicating an instruction from an external terminal 300 such as a tester.

The storage unit 102 is configured by a memory such as a ROM, and stores mode setting conditions and mode release conditions for various display modes, which will be described later, and data having a hierarchical structure in which priority is given to each display mode. The determination unit 103 is a part that determines whether or not the mode setting condition or the mode release condition is satisfied for each of the plurality of display modes based on the input signal input by the input unit 101. Further, the setting unit 104 sets the display mode with the highest priority as the display mode to be displayed by the mirror 200, among the display modes satisfying the mode setting condition among the plurality of display modes. The display control apparatus 100 sets a display mode according to the situation by each of these functional units, and transmits image data subjected to image processing in accordance with the set display mode to the electronic mirror 200. Thereby, the image display according to the display mode is performed by the electronic mirror 200. The details of setting of the display mode, priority, and the like when the electronic mirror 200 performs display will be described later.

The cameras 10 and 11 capture images of images to be projected by the electronic mirror 200, and capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle, in this case, the rear of the vehicle. The right rear side camera 10 captures a predetermined angle range of the right rear side of the vehicle, and the left rear side camera 11 captures a predetermined angle range of the left rear side of the vehicle. For example, the cameras 10 and 11 are mounted toward the rear of the vehicle at a position adjacent to the lowermost portion of the a-pillar in the front door, that is, at a mounting position of a conventional side mirror as shown in fig. 2. As described later, the electron mirror 200 includes: a right side mirror 201 that displays an image corresponding to the right rear of the vehicle, and a left side mirror 202 that displays an image corresponding to the left rear of the vehicle. The image captured by the right rear side camera 10 is used for display on the right side mirror 201, and the image captured by the left rear side camera 11 is used for display on the left side mirror 202.

The cameras 10 and 11 are configured by, for example, CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras or the like, but any Device capable of capturing images may be used as long as the Device can capture images, and the imaging ranges of the cameras 10 and 11 are arbitrary. However, the cameras 10 and 11 can capture an image over a wider range than the display range of the electronic mirror 200. Specifically, as a display mode of the electronic mirror 200, there are a mode in which an image is displayed at a display angle of view corresponding to an optical mirror (hereinafter, referred to as optical angle display), a mode in which an image is displayed at a display angle of view wider than that (hereinafter, referred to as wide-angle display), and the like. For example, the angle range of the display viewing angle of the optical viewing angle display is 20-30 degrees, and the angle range of the display viewing angle of the wide-angle display is more than 30 degrees. Further, the optical angle display and the wide-angle display can be performed by partially cutting out the image data captured by the cameras 10 and 11. Therefore, in order to enable wide-angle display in a wider angle range, the imaging range W of the cameras 10 and 11 shown in fig. 2 is set to a range wider than the range used for wide-angle display.

Various switches 20 to 23 are used for the operation of the electron mirror 200. The switches 20 to 23 include a cross switch 20, an LR switch 21, an ON/MENU switch 22, and an electric switch 23. Among these switches 20 to 23, the switches 20 to 22 other than the electric switch 23 are inputted with signals indicating the operation state to the display control device 100.

The cross switch 20 is a switch for adjusting the position of the display center of the display image of the electronic mirror 200 in the same manner as the adjustment of the orientation of the side mirror formed of the optical mirror. As shown in fig. 1, the cross switch 20 has arrow displays respectively facing up, down, left, and right, and a signal corresponding to a direction in which the cross switch is pressed is input to the display control device 100.

For example, a state in which the display in the electronic mirror 200 is performed such that the center of the video image captured by the cameras 10 and 11 coincides with the center of the electronic mirror 200 is set as a reference state. When the cross switch 20 is operated, the position of the display center of the electronic mirror 200 is shifted in the operation direction with respect to the display in the reference state. For example, when the up arrow position of the cross switch 20 is pressed, the displayed image on the electronic mirror 200 is adjusted to be an image at an upper position than before the pressing. Specifically, in the reference state, a predetermined range centered on the center of the image screen captured by the cameras 10 and 11 is reflected on the electronic mirror 200. On the other hand, when the upward arrow position of the cross switch 20 is pressed, the position of the display center of the display image is adjusted so that the display image is projected onto the electronic mirror 200 within a predetermined range centered on the position above the center of the image-capturing screen.

The cross switch 20 is also used for operations when correcting positional shifts of the cameras 10 and 11 when performing display in a maintenance mode, which will be described later. The cross switch 20 is also used for selecting an arbitrary MENU from a plurality of MENU contents displayed ON the MENU display when the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed to display the MENU.

The LR switch 21 is a switch for selecting which of the right side mirror 201 and the left side mirror 202 is to be adjusted in position based on the display center of the cross switch 20. The LR switch 21 is formed of a seesaw switch, and can switch between an L position for selecting either one of "L" and "R", an R position, and a neutral position which is not selected. Then, a signal corresponding to the operation state of the LR switch 21 is input to the display control apparatus 100. The LR switch 21 is operated before the operation of the cross switch 20, and the cross switch 20 is operated in a state where a desired one of the "L" and "R" is reversed, whereby the position of the display center of the selected one of the galvano mirrors 200 is adjusted.

The ON/MENU switch 22 corresponds to a setting switch, and is a switch for turning ON/off a special display of the electronic mirror 200 and displaying a MENU when the special display is performed. The display is a display in a mode other than the display at the optical viewing angle, such as the wide-angle display of the galvano mirror 200, that is, a display which cannot be performed by the galvano mirror but can be performed by the galvano mirror 200. When the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed, a MENU is displayed ON the electronic mirror 200. Accordingly, by operating the cross switch 20, an arbitrary content can be selected from a plurality of contents displayed in the menu, and the electronic mirror 200 can display the selected content. Further, there is a menu for setting on/off setting whether to perform special display of the electronic mirror 200 in the menu display, and on/off setting for special display can be set based on this.

The electric switch 23 is a switch for housing the cameras 10 and 11. The cameras 10 and 11 can be switched between the extended state and the stored state by a storage mechanism such as an electric motor not shown, and the electric switch 23 is used as a switch for driving the cameras. For example, the electric switch 23 is a push switch, and controls the cameras 10 and 11 to be in the extended state if the electric switch is not pushed, and controls the cameras 10 and 11 to be in the housed state if the electric switch is pushed. The display control device 100 may input a signal of the electric switch 23 to control the expansion and storage of the cameras 10 and 11, but here, the storage mechanism can be directly driven by the operation of the electric switch 23.

The switches other than the ON/MENU switch 22 among the various switches 20 to 23 are conventional switches used for adjusting the side mirror formed of the optical mirror. It is desirable that the electronic mirror 200 can set a plurality of display modes depending on the situation, but it is difficult to newly add a switch only for this purpose. Therefore, the display mode can be set using the existing switches, and the cross switch 20, the LR switch 21, and the ON/MENU switch 22 are used for setting the display mode in addition to the above-described functions. The setting of the display mode will be described later. In addition, the expansion and storage of the cameras 10 and 11 may be automatically controlled so that the IG2 is in the expanded state when turned on, and the IG2 is in the stored state when turned off, for example. In this case, the electric switch 23 may be omitted, and the ON/MENU switch 22 may be provided instead of the conventional electric switch 23.

The shift position sensor 30 detects a state of a shift position of the vehicle, and outputs a detection signal corresponding thereto. By inputting the detection signal of the shift position sensor 30 to the display control device 100, the electronic mirror 200 can display the display corresponding to the shift position.

The door sensor 31 detects an open/close state of a door of the vehicle, and outputs a detection signal corresponding thereto. By inputting the detection signal of the door sensor 31 to the display control device 100, the electronic mirror 200 can perform a display corresponding to the time when the user gets off the vehicle.

When a direction indicating lever or a direction indicating switch, not shown, is operated to turn the vehicle to the right or left, the direction indicator 40 is driven. The operation state of the direction indicator 40 is input to the display control device 100, and the display accompanied by the right turn display and the left turn display can be performed by the electronic mirror 200.

Further, the detection signals of the shift position sensor 30 and the door sensor 31 and the signal indicating the operation state of the direction indicator 40 are transmitted to, for example, an in-vehicle LAN (short for Local Area Network) based on CAN (short for Controller Area Network) communication or the like. Therefore, the detection signal and the operation state of each unit can be transmitted to the display control apparatus 100 through the in-vehicle LAN.

The electronic mirror 200 includes a display 200a for display, a power IC (Integrated Circuit) 200b, and a control unit 200c, and includes a right mirror 201 and a left mirror 202 as described above. Each electronic mirror 200 functions as a mirror that reflects and reflects the image of the rear of the vehicle, such as an optical mirror, by reflecting the image, which is the reverse of the image captured by the cameras 10 and 11, on the display 200 a.

The display 200a is made of liquid crystal, EL, or the like, and displays an image based on image data from the control unit 200 c. Since the display is performed by the display 200a, wide-angle display can be performed in addition to optical viewing angle display. Therefore, when the special display is turned ON by the operation of the ON/MENU switch 22 or the like, the optical angle display or the wide-angle display of the display 200a is performed depending ON the situation.

The electronic mirror 200 is not required to be installed outside the vehicle unlike the optical mirror, and therefore can be installed in the vehicle interior. When the electronic mirror 200 is mounted in the vehicle interior, it is possible to suppress the difficulty in visual confirmation when rain adheres to the mirror or the front door glass, as in the case of a side mirror formed of an optical mirror.

The attachment position of the electronic mirror 200 is arbitrary, but it is preferable to dispose it at the left and right ends of the instrument panel or the left and right a-pillars in the vehicle interior so as not to be different from the visual confirmation side mirror for the driver. More preferably, the electronic mirrors 200 are arranged to extend from the left and right end portions of the instrument panel and the left and right a-pillars, and can be arranged to further follow the side mirrors. However, if the electron mirror 200 is disposed so as to protrude from the left and right end portions of the instrument panel and the left and right a pillars, the occupant gets in and out of the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable that the electronic mirror 200 can be switched between the extended state and the stored state by the storage mechanism.

The power IC200b is a part that controls power of each part of the electronic mirror 200. The power supply IC200b is supplied with power from the power supply 1 in addition to the on/off signal of the input IG2, and is input with a control signal based on the power supply of the display control apparatus 100. Further, even when IG2 is on, power supply IC200b supplies power to display 200a and controller 200c, and after IG2 is off, power supply IC200b can continue the supply of power based on a control signal from display control device 100. Specifically, the display control apparatus 100 continues driving for a predetermined period even after the IG2 is turned off by the delay circuit 3, and thus can output a control signal to the power supply IC200b for the predetermined period. Therefore, the power supply IC200b can continue to supply power to the display 200a and the control unit 200c during the output period of the control signal, for example, for 2 minutes.

The control unit 200c controls display on the display 200a based on various signals from the display control apparatus 100. For example, data obtained by cutting out image data captured by the cameras 10 and 11 in accordance with the display mode, and data relating to the mode displayed on the display 200a are input from the display control device 100 to the control unit 200 c. The control unit 200c transmits the data to the display 200a, and causes the display 200a to display an image according to the mode.

The external terminal 300 is a tester or the like for maintenance used in a maintenance factory or the like such as a dealer. In the case of the present embodiment, an input signal of the external terminal 300 is input to the display control apparatus 100 through the input terminal 50, and a maintenance mode for performing a display for maintenance is set based on the input signal and the like. Note that, although the input signal of the external terminal 300 is input to the display control apparatus 100 through the input terminal 50, the input signal may be input by wireless communication.

As described above, the electronic mirror system including the display control apparatus 100 and the like is configured. Next, a method of controlling the display of the electron mirror 200 by the display control device 100 will be described. First, the setting of various display modes by the display control apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

When various display modes are set, the display control apparatus 100 controls the display of the mirror 200 in accordance with the modes. Examples of the various modes include the modes shown in the graph of fig. 3.

The modes 1 to 6 in fig. 3 are modes set as rare cases different from those in normal traveling, and the mode 7 is a mode set as a high-frequency normal case other than the rare cases. As the mode, a wide-angle display mode, an optical angle display mode, and the like are set. Here, the mode for performing the wide-angle display is set by an external factor as a trigger, or a switch operation by a user or a serviceman, or the like as a trigger. The optical angle display mode is set to a mode set at the time of normal traveling. The mode in which the external factor is triggered is set, for example, so that an optimum image is displayed in each operating state in accordance with a change in external environment such as the state of the shift position or the direction indicator. The greater the number of modes covering a variety of operating conditions. The mode in which the user or the vehicle maintenance worker performs the switch operation or the like to be triggered is set to request the wide-angle display in response to the user performing the switch operation. Of the following descriptions 1 to 7, 3, 5, and 6 correspond to modes in which an external factor is triggered, 1, 2, and 4 correspond to modes in which a switch operation or the like by a user or a serviceman is triggered, and 7 corresponds to a mode set during normal traveling.

"1: the first maintenance mode "is a mode executed when a vehicle maintenance worker inputs an input signal indicating an instruction using the external terminal 300, for example, when a vehicle is delivered from a vehicle manufacturing plant in a maintenance plant such as a dealer or the like. Here, the first maintenance mode is a mode for displaying an image so as to correct a rotational shift of the cameras 10 and 11, that is, a shift of the cameras 10 and 11 in the rotational direction with respect to the imaging center axis. Specifically, in the first maintenance mode, the grid lines are displayed on the display image of the mirror 200, and when the cross switch 20 is operated in the left-right direction, the grid lines are rotated and moved. For example, when the cross switch 20 is operated in the left direction, the grid is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and when the cross switch 20 is operated in the right direction, the grid is rotated in the clockwise direction. The display image on the mirror 200 is also rotated in accordance with the rotational movement of the grid lines, and the rotational displacement of the cameras 10 and 11 can be corrected.

"2: the second maintenance mode "is also a mode executed when a vehicle maintenance worker inputs an input signal indicating an instruction using the external terminal 300, for example, when a vehicle is delivered from a vehicle manufacturing plant in a maintenance plant such as a dealer or the like. Here, the second maintenance mode is a mode for displaying an image so as to correct a rear guide line deviation of the cameras 10 and 11, that is, an angular deviation of the cameras 10 and 11 with respect to the reference direction of the imaging center axis. Specifically, a reference icon such as a mirror figure is displayed in the display image of the electronic mirror 200, and when the cross switch 20 is operated in any one of the up, down, left, and right directions, the inclination angle of the reference icon is changed. For example, when the cross switch 20 is operated in the left direction, the normal vector of the reference icon is tilted in the left direction. As the inclination angle of the reference icon changes, the inclination angle of the display image in the electronic mirror 200 also changes, and the rear guide line deviation of the cameras 10 and 11 can be corrected.

"3: the reverse interlock display mode is a mode in which wide-angle display is performed when the vehicle is driven in reverse and is backed up. In this case as well, it is preferable that the rear of the vehicle can be recognized in a wide range. Therefore, in the reverse interlock display mode, wide-angle display is performed to display a wider range.

"4: the wide-view display mode "is a mode set when it is desired to perform guard travel using an operation or the like of the user as a trigger. For example, the lane change is desired. In this case, since the user desires to be able to recognize the appearance of the rear of the vehicle in a wide range, the wide-angle display is performed to display a wider range.

"5: the "door opening interlock mode" is a mode in which wide-angle display is performed when the vehicle is driven off. For example, the angle range of the display angle of view in the optical angle display is 20 to 30 degrees, but in the door drive mode, the angle of view is larger than the optical angle of view display, and for example, a wide-angle display in an angle range of 70 degrees is performed. When getting off, it is preferable to be able to recognize the presence or the like of another vehicle approaching from the rear of the vehicle in a wide range. Therefore, in the door opening interlock mode, wide-angle display is performed to display a wider range.

"6: the left-turn/right-turn travel mode is a mode in which wide-angle display is temporarily performed when a left turn and a right turn are made at an intersection or the like. Preferably, the rear view of the vehicle can be recognized in a wide range even when the vehicle is turning left or right. Therefore, in the left-turn and right-turn travel mode, wide-angle display is performed to display a wider range.

"7: the normal running mode "is a mode set without setting the various modes 1 to 6 described above. At this time, since it is assumed that wide-angle display is not necessary, the display of the galvano mirror 200 is optical angle display.

The various modes described above can be set, and when the various modes are set, optical angle display or wide-angle display is performed accordingly. The various modes are set based on operations of the various switches 20 to 22, input signals from the external terminal 300, and the traveling conditions of the vehicle indicated by the shift position sensor 30, the door sensor 31, or the direction indicator 40. The setting conditions of the various modes are stored in the storage unit 102. In addition, the setting of the various modes is performed independently for the right side mirror 201 and the left side mirror 202, respectively.

Here, it is considered to apply a method of designing a pattern for shifting to another pattern for each of the plurality of patterns as to which of the above-described patterns is set. However, in this case, it is necessary to design all the patterns in which the switching operation is performed when a certain mode is set and the mode is shifted to next, for each of the plurality of modes, and the number of design steps is enormous.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, each mode is given a priority, and when a plurality of modes are set, the mode with the higher priority is set in preference to the other modes. Specifically, "ownership" is set for each display mode. The "ownership" is set as "ownership" in a state where only the display mode is set. The display mode is set in the case of "ownership", and is not set in the case of "non-ownership". For example, if a mode setting condition that is a condition to be set as the display mode is satisfied, "ownership" is set. In this display mode, a mode having a higher priority than itself is set as "ownership", and when a condition to be the display mode is not satisfied, the display mode is set as "non-ownership". Therefore, if the display mode is set to "ownership", the display mode is set. In addition, when the mode having higher priority than itself is "owned", there are cases where there are a plurality of "owned" modes when the mode is not set as "owned" mode. In this case, the display mode of "ownership" having the highest priority may be set.

In each display mode, the state transition of the mode setting can be confirmed by "active" and "inactive", and the state transition of the mode setting is "active" when the mode setting condition of each display mode is satisfied and "inactive" when the mode canceling condition is satisfied. It is also possible to confirm which display mode is set based on the state transition of the display modes indicated by "active" and "inactive". That is, when there are a plurality of display modes to be "active", it is possible to set a display mode to be "active" with a higher priority.

Fig. 4 is a state transition diagram showing a relationship between mode setting conditions and mode release conditions for each display mode and data having a hierarchical structure in which priority is given to each display mode. The relationship shown in the state transition diagram is stored in the storage unit 102, and various data are extracted from the storage unit 102.

First, as for the priorities, the priorities are given in the order of 1 to 7 from high to low for each of the modes 1 to 7 in fig. 3. Thus, for example, in a "1: when the first maintenance mode is "ownership", the other display modes having lower priority than the first maintenance mode are not set. The same applies to the case where the display mode is set based on the transition states of "active" and "inactive". In the case of "1: when the first maintenance mode is "switched to" active ", even if the other display mode having a lower priority than the first maintenance mode satisfies the condition of switching to" active ", the" 1: first maintenance mode ".

The mode setting conditions and the mode release conditions, in other words, the switching conditions from "inactive" to "active" and the switching conditions from "active" to "inactive" are as follows. Whether or not each mode setting condition or mode releasing condition is satisfied is determined based on the operation state of each switch 20 to 22 or direction indicator 40 input to the display control device 100, the detection result of the shift position sensor 30, or the input signal of the external terminal 300.

"1: first maintenance mode "and" 2: the second maintenance mode "is set to one of the maintenance modes, and is set selectively from among the maintenance modes when the maintenance mode is set. For example, when a predetermined mode setting condition is satisfied, the first maintenance mode is first set to "ownership" in relation to the first maintenance mode. When it is desired to set the second maintenance mode, the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed. Thus, the first maintenance mode becomes "non-ownership", the second maintenance mode becomes "ownership", and the second maintenance mode is set to be out of the first maintenance mode. In this way, in the maintenance mode, either one of the first maintenance mode and the second maintenance mode can be selectively set.

For example, if the shift position is "P" and an instruction command for setting the maintenance mode is input from the external terminal 300 to the display control apparatus 100, the shift position becomes "ownership". Then, the first maintenance mode is switched from "inactive" to "active", and the first maintenance mode is set. In addition, even when the shift position is "P" and the various switches 20 to 22 are operated in a predetermined manner, the first maintenance mode is "owned" and is switched from "inactive" to "active". Thus, the first maintenance mode can be set even if the external terminal 300 is not present. The various switches 20 to 22 can be set arbitrarily when they are operated in a predetermined manner. For example, the predetermined operation is performed when the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed for a long time and the left and right arrow positions of the cross switch 20 are alternately pressed a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time thereafter. In addition, when the first maintenance mode is set in this manner, the raster lines are displayed on the display screen of the electronic mirror 200 as described above, and therefore, the rotational misalignment can be corrected by operating the cross switch 20 in the left-right direction.

ON the other hand, if the shift position is not "P" after the first maintenance mode is set, or if the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed, the first maintenance mode becomes "non-ownership" and the first maintenance mode is released. At this time, if the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed in the state where the shift position is "P", the second maintenance mode becomes "owned", and is switched from "inactive" to "active". Thus, the second maintenance mode is set apart from the first maintenance mode. In addition, when the second maintenance mode is set in this manner, since the reference icon is displayed on the display screen of the electronic mirror 200 as described above, the rear guide line deviation can be corrected by operating the cross switch 20 in the vertical and horizontal directions.

In addition, when the shift position is not "P" after the second maintenance mode is set, or when the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed, the second maintenance mode becomes "non-ownership". In this case, the second maintenance mode is changed from "active" to "inactive", and the setting of the second maintenance mode is released. At this time, when the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed in the state of the shift position "P", the maintenance mode may be continued, the second maintenance mode may be disengaged, the first maintenance mode may be returned to, and the first maintenance mode may be set.

Thus, the first maintenance mode is set first, and then the second maintenance mode is set. Therefore, the maintenance can be performed sequentially as follows, for example, the rotational misalignment of the cameras 10 and 11 is corrected as the first maintenance mode, and then, for example, the rear guide line misalignment of the cameras 10 and 11 is corrected as the second maintenance mode. Further, since the first maintenance mode and the second maintenance mode can be switched in the maintenance mode, each maintenance can be continuously performed or each maintenance can be repeated without newly performing an operation for entering the maintenance mode. For example, the shift from the first maintenance mode to the second maintenance mode and the shift from the second maintenance mode to the first maintenance mode can be performed by pressing the ON/MENU switch 22, and therefore the maintenance mode can be easily set.

With respect to "3: reverse interlock display mode ", the reverse position becomes the mode setting condition when the shift position is" R ". When the shift position is "R", the shift position is "owned", and the shift position is switched from "inactive" to "active", and wide-angle display is performed during reverse travel. Conversely, if the shift position is a position other than "R", it is "no ownership", and the shift position is switched from "active" to "inactive".

With respect to "4: the wide view display mode is set to "owned" by the operating states of the various switches 20 to 22 satisfying a predetermined mode setting condition, and is switched from "inactive" to "active". When this mode is set, a wide-angle display for limp home running is performed. The operation state satisfying the predetermined mode setting condition can be set arbitrarily, but here, the LR switch 21 is in the neutral position and the cross switch 20 is operated. After the wide-view display mode is set, if the operation states of the various switches 20 to 22 satisfy a predetermined mode release condition, "do not have ownership", and are switched from "active" to "inactive", thereby releasing the wide-view display mode. The operation state satisfying the predetermined mode release condition can be set arbitrarily, but here, the LR switch 21 is in the neutral position and the cross switch 20 is operated.

In the wide view display mode, it is preferable that the mode is automatically released after the end. Therefore, even when the elapsed time measured by a timer incorporated in the display control apparatus 100 reaches a predetermined time after the wide-field display mode is set, the mode is switched from "active" to "inactive" and the wide-field display mode is released.

With respect to "5: in the door open interlock mode ", IG2 is turned off and the door is opened, which is a mode setting condition, and if this condition is satisfied, the mode is switched from inactive to active, and a wide-angle display is performed when the vehicle is getting off. Further, the IG2 is not turned off to become the mode release condition, and if this condition is satisfied, the mode is switched from active to inactive. In addition, regarding "5: in the door opening interlock mode, "the condition for" having ownership "is the same as the condition for" being active ", and the condition for" not having ownership "is the same as the condition for" being inactive ". For example, with respect to "5: the drive-door interlock mode "is set to" ownership "because the IG2 is off and the door is open, since it is always set in preference to the other modes. Conversely, if IG2 is not turned off, the possibility that the user gets off the vehicle is low, and the necessity of wide-angle display for getting off the vehicle is low, and therefore "5: the setting of the door opening interlock mode is "no ownership".

With respect to "6: the left-turn/right-turn travel mode "is set to" owned "when the operation state of the direction indicator 40 satisfies a predetermined mode setting condition, and is switched from" inactive "to" active ". When the display mode is set, wide-angle display for left-turn and right-turn driving is performed. Further, after the left-turn/right-turn travel mode is set, the operation of the direction indicator 40 is canceled, and when the mode maintenance is not necessary, the mode cancellation is automatically performed. For example, when the elapsed time measured by a timer built in the display control apparatus 100 reaches a predetermined time after the operation of the direction indicator 40 is released, "no ownership" is made, and the state is switched from "active" to "inactive". Thereby, the left-turn and right-turn travel mode is released.

As described above, the setting of the various modes is performed for the right side mirror 201 and the left side mirror 202, respectively. Therefore, for example, only the right side mirror 201 performs wide-angle display at the time of right turn, and only the left side mirror 202 performs wide-angle display at the time of left turn.

With respect to "7: the normal running mode "is set when none of the above-described modes 1 to 6 is" owned ". When the state is observed in the transition state, when the modes 1 to 6 are not activated, "7: normal running mode ". That is, if any of the above-described display modes 1 to 6 is not "owned" or "activated", then "7: the normal driving mode is switched from "inactive" to "active". If any of the above-described modes 1 to 6 is "owned" or "activated", then "7: the normal running mode "becomes" inactive ". Thus, if the display modes 1 to 6 are not set, the normal driving mode is set and the optical angle display is performed.

In addition, the above-described modes are described by taking an example of a mode setting condition or a mode canceling condition. However, the mode setting condition and the mode canceling condition described here are merely examples, and other conditions may be added instead of or in addition to the above conditions. For example, in the case of the door opening interlock mode, the mode setting condition may include a case where the shift position is "P", that is, the parking position, and a case where the vehicle speed is 0, in addition to the case where the IG2 is off and the door is open. In contrast, in the door opening interlock mode, the IG2 is not necessarily turned off, and therefore, only the door opening may be set as the mode setting condition. That is, the mode setting condition and the mode canceling condition are determined for each display mode, but the conditions can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, for example, the following may be used: if the vehicle is in the door opening interlock mode, the wide-angle display is performed if it is determined that the door opening interlock display mode setting condition is satisfied, and the wide-angle display is released if it is determined that the door opening interlock display mode release condition is satisfied.

The above mode setting is performed. Specifically, the display control device 100 performs the mode setting by executing the mode setting condition determination process shown in fig. 5 and the mode setting process shown in fig. 6.

The display control apparatus 100 executes the mode setting condition determination processing shown in fig. 5 for each of various modes of predetermined settings. This processing is executed, for example, every predetermined control cycle.

First, in step S100, various input signals are input, and then, in step S110, it is determined whether or not a mode setting condition is satisfied. Since the mode setting conditions are set in each of the above-described display modes, the determination in this step is performed by determining whether or not the conditions are satisfied. For example, if it is "5: in the door open interlock mode ", the IG2 is turned off as the mode setting condition.

If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S120, where "ownership is set" and the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination at step S110 is negative, the process proceeds to step S130. Then, in step S130, it is determined whether or not the mode release condition is satisfied. Since the mode release condition is set in each of the above display modes, the determination in this step is performed by determining whether or not the condition is satisfied. For example, if it is "5: in the door open interlock mode ", the IG2 is not turned off, and the mode release condition is set.

If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S140, where "no ownership" is set, and the process ends. On the other hand, if the determination in step S130 is negative, the process is terminated as it is. In this case, the status of "ownership" and "non-ownership" remains unchanged.

By executing the above mode setting condition determination processing, it is decided which state of "ownership" and "non-ownership" is set for each of the display modes. Then, based on the result, the mode setting processing shown in fig. 6 is executed. This process is also executed, for example, at every predetermined control cycle.

First, in step S200, for the display mode with the first highest priority, that is, "1: a first maintenance mode "to determine whether" ownership "is set. Here, if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S205, where the first maintenance mode is set, and the process is ended, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, for the display mode with the second highest priority, that is, "2: and a second maintenance mode "for determining whether or not" ownership "is set. Here, if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S215, where the second maintenance mode is set, and the process is ended, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S220.

In step S220, for the display mode with the third highest priority, that is, "3: reverse interlock display mode ", determine whether to set up" having ownership ". Here, if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S225, where the reverse interlock display mode is set, and the process is ended, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S230.

In step S230 and thereafter, as in the above, it is determined whether or not "ownership" is set for each display mode having the fourth highest priority and thereafter in the order of the priority from high to low, and if the determination is positive, the display mode is set. Then, if the determination is negative, the same process is repeated for the display mode with the highest priority. In this way, even if there are a plurality of modes in which "ownership" is set, the display mode with the highest priority can be set.

The determination unit 103 executes steps S110 and S130 which become the determination steps in fig. 5. The process of fig. 6 is executed by the setting unit 104.

As described above, in the electronic mirror system according to the present embodiment, each display mode when the display is performed by the electronic mirror 200 by the display control device 100 is given priority as a hierarchical structure, and the mode setting is performed according to the priority. Therefore, when there is a display mode satisfying the mode setting condition, it is sufficient to select a display mode having the highest priority from among the display modes and set the selected display mode.

Therefore, it is possible to design a pattern to be shifted to another pattern without individually designing each of the plurality of patterns, and it is possible to reduce the number of design steps by suppressing the number of design steps. Further, if priority design is suppressed, the display mode can be set reliably, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in management cost, and there is no problem in quality assurance that a mode selection cannot be performed due to a condition that falls outside the assumption. Therefore, the electronic mirror system can be improved in terms of reduction in design man-hours and quality assurance.

(other embodiments)

The present invention has been described in terms of the above embodiments, but is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and variations within the equivalent range are also included. In addition, various combinations and modes, including only one element, one or more elements, or other combinations and modes of one or less elements, also fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

For example, although the display modes 1 to 7 shown in fig. 3 are described as examples of the display mode in the above embodiment, the description is merely an example of the display mode. That is, other display modes than the modes shown in 1 to 7 may be included, a part of 1 to 7 may be excluded, or a part of 1 to 7 may be excluded and other display modes may be further included.

For example, as shown in fig. 7, "1: stop mode ". The stop mode is a mode for continuing the display of the electronic mirror 200 for a predetermined period even after the user finishes traveling the vehicle. When this mode is set, the display of the mirror 200 is not stopped even if the IG2 is off, and the display is continued for a predetermined period of time based on the power supply from the delay circuit 3. As the display mode of the electronic mirror 200, the optical angle display is performed in the same manner as in the normal travel mode, but a wide-angle display may be used. The stop mode is, for example, a mode setting condition of turning off IG2, which is "owned" and is switched from "inactive" to "active". Further, the mode release condition is that IG2 is turned on, and the mode release condition is "no ownership", and the mode is switched from "active" to "inactive". Thus, modes other than the modes shown in fig. 3 may be included. In the example of fig. 7, it is shown that the "5: door opening interlock mode "includes" 1: stop mode ", in the case of changing the priority order of some of the other modes. This is merely an example, and other display modes may be further included or deleted.

In addition, the user may select whether or not to adopt each display mode. For example, when the ON/MENU switch 22 is pressed, whether or not each display mode is to be adopted is selected, and whether or not to be adopted can be selected by the cross switch 20. This makes it possible to select, for example, the use or non-use of the back-up display mode or the wide-field display mode.

Further, the mode setting condition and the mode canceling condition of each display mode are exemplified, but the mode setting condition and the mode canceling condition may be changed as appropriate. The order of priority of each display mode can also be changed as appropriate. That is, even if the hierarchical structure is configured by giving priority to the display modes satisfying the mode setting condition, the effect described in the above embodiment can be obtained by selecting and setting the display mode having the higher priority.

The electronic mirror system includes the shift position sensor 30, the door sensor 31, and the direction indicator 40, but all of them are not required as long as they have a configuration for determining whether or not the mode setting condition is satisfied. Of course, other configurations may be added.

In the above-described embodiment, the electronic mirror 200 has been described as an example of the electronic mirror system as functioning as a side mirror of a vehicle, in other words, as constituting an electronic side mirror. In contrast, the above embodiment can be applied also to a case where the electronic mirror 200 functions as an interior mirror of a vehicle, in other words, the electronic interior mirror is configured. In this case, as for a mode which does not need to be applied to the indoor mirror, such as the left-turn right-turn travel mode in the display mode exemplified in the above embodiment, the mode may be appropriately excluded.

In the above-described embodiment, IG2 has been described as an example of a start switch that is a switch capable of starting the vehicle, but in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, a push switch or the like is used as the start switch.